


It's Not Over Yet

by Parsonswy



Category: Dragons: Race to the Edge, How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-05 15:32:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11580942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Parsonswy/pseuds/Parsonswy
Summary: The unwritten 14th episode of D:RTTE season 4, or maybe the up-in-coming 1st episode of season 5.Volcanic eruptions, more dragon hunters, Hicstrid, and then some.





	1. Eruption

“Yea, of course. Definitely _,_ ” Hiccup said. Astrid was looking to him for reassurance that all the fighting had come to a close, but he couldn't even convince himself of that. Vigo was gone, Ryker was gone, but his uneasiness was not. Something still felt wrong. Perhaps they had been fighting for so long that he just got used to being on edge? The other riders were presumably safe. Vigo nearly killed Astrid, but that was all over now. He could take a step back, right?

“I should have listened to you. You are our leader. Our relationship can’t get in the way of that. It won’t happen again,” said Astrid as they stood atop the volcano. Hiccup recognized the ‘inner warrior’ within Astrid, it was both a gift and a curse - tactically speaking. But the defeat in her voice hit him rather hard. Yes, if Astrid had obeyed his orders she wouldn’t have been captured, again, but if she hadn’t he could have been killed by Viggo.

For years they had worked well as a team, he didn’t want to risk changing that. Things would be different now that they were together, but he didn’t want either of them to lose themselves in that change. He was a pretty mediocre person, but Astrid was near perfect the way she was.

“Just promise me you won’t stop telling me what you’re thinking. Astrid, I rely on you. It’s what makes us, well, us. Deal?” Hiccup reached out his hand to shake hers. She clasped it with both her hands.

“Deal,” and pulled him in for a kiss. The feeling was still surreal. For a moment he felt weightless, as all the burdens in his life dissipated - dispelling his unease momentarily.

There was a sudden gasp and they both turned. Snotlout gaped as he, Fishlegs, and the Twins landed and consecutively said,

“This…”

“Changes…”

“Everything.” Except for Tuffnut who weirdly asked,

“Wait, does this mean you’re not dying?”

Hiccup and Astrid ignored him and looked back at the other riders - smiling - who ran forward - cheering - for a slightly awkward group hug.

“Bring it in for the real one, Hiccup.” Shouted Tuffnut.

Hiccup was unsure as to what they should do next; he had no direction. For months they had focused on stopping the Dragon Hunters, but never gave thought as to what would come after that.

Hiccup didn’t want to relive the events that had followed the Berserker war - the days right before their daring journey beyond the archipelago. That time had seen the dragon riders slip away from each other.

Astrid had been the last to go, leaving him merely hours before trader Johann drifted into a Berkian fishing net and changed everything. Would she leave him again? Without the Dragon Riders Hiccup was just that, a nerdy “Hiccup”. Did Astrid want to be with just a Hiccup? She didn’t before. She had stuck with him for years, as he continued his search for new dragons. In the end though, she had left him.

Would he again be driven to the loneliness and solitude that was his life before Toothless? Indeed, he would still have Toothless for company, but dragons could never replace people - Toothless could never stoke the emotion fire that burned within him the same way Astrid did. No. He was determined to not repeat those years. He would think of something. He could not live with the alternative.

“Okay, gang. Once more around the island. Let’s make sure the Edge is secure.”

He held Astrid’s hand as they walked to their Dragons. Snotlout started going on about some gambling problem. He looked to Astrid for reassurance that Snotlout was the crazy one. She was equally confused.

“For the last time, what are you guys talking about?” said Hiccup.  That made Astrid laugh and he felt a little better.

They all mounted their dragons and took off with the sun at their backs. The other riders cheered as they flew off towards the coastline. He and Astrid flew close enough to continue holding hands.

They had only been in the air for about a minute when they heard a rumbling sound. The Dragon’s suddenly seemed uncertain, and confused. Hiccup and Astrid were forced to release their hands as Toothless and Stormfly flew apart. The baby Eruptodon croaked loudly from Fishlegs lap, looking behind them. The rumbling crescendoed and there was an explosion; the volcano had erupted.

The sky above was sudden filled with thick black smoke and ash. The morphing black mass was speckled with glowing orange bits of molten rock that began to fall to the earth and ignite the forest.

“That was awesome!” shouted Tuffnut. Fishlegs glared at him, “Ok… slightly less awesome.”

“What do we do?” shouted Fishlegs.

“Remember when we were going to vote on leaving the island?”

“Snotlout!” scolded Astrid.

“I’ve been lit on fire too many times already today!” Hookfang gave a snort of amusement. “Don’t even think about it Hookfang” said Snotlout.

“Well,” asked Astrid, “what are we going to do?” She was looking to Hiccup now. He would have given a lot to go back and scold his past self for worrying about peace and quiet, it seemed so stupid and selfish.

Besides, stopping Vigo and Ryker had been one thing, but saving the island from a volcano? And Snotlout had a point this time. Their valiant stand the past few days had been to keep the Hunters from turning rudder towards Berk. Did they really need the outpost now?

No. He mustn’t think that way. Dragon's Edge was where he had grown close Astrid, where the riders had come back together to work like a well lit forge. They had made peace with Dagur here, Heather had even made peace with Dagur here. And now they had bested Viggo and Ryker. The Edge had been a safe haven for them. He was too attached to the Edge, as he suspected the other riders were - even if some may not admit it - to let their home go that easily. They had to try.

Their dragons were still not to keen about all the glowing projectiles ejected by the volcano which gave Hiccup an excuse to stall for time.

“Let’s set down over on the beach,” he said. “We’ll come up with something there.”

The flight to the beach was no more than a minute, but it had given Hiccup enough time to start formulating a plan. It wasn’t much, but he at least had somewhere to start. He began assigning tasks as soon as they dismounted.

“Alright. Astrid, Snotlout, Ruff, and Tuff,” he commanded, “start digging trenches at the base of the mountain to try and route the lava flow out towards the sea. Start on the southeast side to protect the edge. Fishlegs take the baby Eruptodon to the Edge. I don’t want to take any chances with him against the smoke, ash, or wild dragons. Once he’s safe help the others with the barriers.”

Hiccup had sent Dagur back to Berk to fetch Gobber, hopefully he would return quickly. Gobber’s expertise in engineering would be valuable, having the extra hands would help too. What happened to Heather he was unsure. Last he had seen her, she had been slicing up Hunter support ships in the bay.

“Look,” said Ruffnut, “as much as we love the island,”

“and believe it or not we do” interrupted Tuffnut,

“this thing could stay active for a long time,”  continued Ruff,

“like much longer than we’ll be alive,” finished Tuff. There were some slightly astonished looks. “What? We did research on the neighborhood before we voted to move in.”

“I know,” Hiccup said exasperatedly, “I’ll think of something.” There was a few moments pause and the other riders were still waiting for him to toss out an idea. They were burning valuable time. The baby Eruptodon croaked again. It was now standing on the ground next to Meatlug.

“Oh Hiccup, I think I’ve got it!” suddenly shouted Fishlegs. “You’re a genius little guy,” he told the Eruptodon. “Hiccup, we need to get to the Defenders of the Wing. The Eruptodon stops the volcano on their island, maybe he can stop this one too.”

“Yea… but that's not a full blown eruption,” said Astrid. “Are you sure the Eruptodon could actually help?”

“It’s not like it can get any worse,” replied Hiccup with forced gusto. He had similar reservations, but didn’t have a better idea.

“Now hold on,” interjected Snotlout, “if you’re going to ask Malla for help, you _need_ me with you. Queenie and I have a connection.”

“Didn’t your connection sort of go up in flames?” Fishlegs asked mockingly.

“Almost literally,” Chimed in Ruffnut.

“We still have a connection!” shouted Snotlout. “She trusts me, probably even admires me.” There was a rumble and more lava rolled over the lip of the Volcano.

“Fine. We don’t have time to argue this. Snotlout come with me. Fishlegs, go with the others and help fortify the island. We’ll bring the baby Eruptodon back to Mala.”

“Right,” said Fishlegs. He turned to Meatlug where the hatchling had been standing minutes earlier. “Um, Hiccup. We might have a problem.”

“Ugh. We might have a problem or we do have a problem?” asked Hiccup while mounting Toothless.

“We do have a problem. The hatchling, he’s gone.”

“What?!”

“You lost it!?” shouted Snotlout, half laughing.

“I didn’t lose him. He just… wandered off while we were talking. You guys don’t think it would try to stopping the volcano by itself?”

“Definitely lost it,” concurred Tuffnut, also with amusement.

“Come on guys,” said Astrid, “we were all standing here.”

“It doesn’t matter whose fault it is,” said Hiccup exasperatedly. “Fishlegs, find the dragon before it can try doing anything. The rest of you, fortify the island. We’ll be back.”

“And what if Mala mentions the hatchling?” asked Astrid. Hiccup sighed,

“And what if she doesn’t.” He looked back towards the others and continued, ”All of you; be careful.” They nodded, mounted their dragons, and took off.

Hiccup watched Astrid for a few moments as the others flew away. It was always hard sending his friends into danger. Especially knowing that they were loyal enough to follow into just about anything.

“Come on lover boy! Are we leaving or not?!” Hiccup tore himself away and flew off with Snotlout towards Caldera Cay.


	2. Allies

They had been flying for about 20 minutes when Snotlout broke the silence,

“Can we talk about the rumblehorn in the air here?”

“Um, what rumblehorn?”

“You, and Astrid. Together.” Hiccup sighed. I suppose I should have been ready for that, he thought. He wasn’t sure why, but it was difficult for him to talk about his relationship with - it just felt weird. It was private, intimate; he didn’t want to talk in too much detail about it with someone else. He almost felt a little embarrassed, talking about his relationship with, of all people, Snotlout.

“Well,” said Hiccup after a few moments, “it just happened. We spend a lot of time together - I was there for her, she was for me - and then one evening we were sitting there and it happened.”

“What happened?” asked Snotlout eagerly.

“We kissed.”

“Did you kiss her? Did she kiss you?”

“I guess I kind of init - Why does this matter?”

“Because if I’m going to be your wingman I need to know these things.”

“Wingman? Who said anything about a wingman?” A wingman? Sometimes Hiccup barely trusted Snotlout on his literal wing during missions. Also, why does he assume that I need help?

“Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup; it doesn’t need to be said,” said a chuckling Snotlout.

“Astrid and I have been getting along fine for several months now without your help. We’re very happy right now. So thanks, but no thanks.”

“You may be happy, but is Astrid? Women are very complex. Even I, a great viking warrior, have moments of uncertainty” said Snotlout. Hiccup just glared at him. “What?” asked Snotlout.

“Look,” sighed Hiccup, “if something comes up and I need your help, I’ll ask. Otherwise, please stay out of this. It’s between Astrid, and me.”

“Come on Hiccup,” he was almost begging now, “you don’t know what you’re turning down.”

“Oh I’m fairly certain that I do.”

“Fine. But when everything falls apart because Astrid realizes you aren't the true viking warrior she _needs_ in her life, don’t come complaining to me.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t...and hey would look at that, there’s the island.”

They ascended to fly over the village, surprising a few warriors who had been training in the street as they sped past. Hiccup saw Mala and Throk near the center of town.

“Let me do the talking,” Hiccup told Snotlout. It looked like he was about to protest, but Hiccup cut him off, “Mala!” he called as they began their descent.

“Greetings Hiccup Haddock. What brings you here today?” she said, slightly surprised.

Hiccup stumbled in his haste to dismount from Toothless, the dragon lowered his head to support him.

“It’s urgent. The volcano on Dragons Edge is erupting. We need your help. We need the Eruptodon.”

Mala stared at him for a moment, contemplating what he had just said.

“Hiccup I’m sorry to hear that, but I don’t know if the Eruptodon could make the trip. He spends more and more time in the cavern by the Volcano. And with Ryker attacking islands and Vigo on the loose…”

“Vigo and Ryker aren't an issue anymore,” said Hiccup.

“How is that?” asked Mala

“The Hunters attacked the Edge, that’s what woke up the volcano. Ryker went down with his ship and Vigo fell into the volcano.”

“Well on behalf of the Defenders of the Wing, I both congratulate and thank you for ridding the world of those awful men.”

“It was no big deal,” said Snotlout who had been just standing by Hookfang trying to look cool. “It’s what I do every day - saving the world.” Hiccup ignored him, but Hookfang put Snotlout in his place. Taking a step to the side, the dragon made  Snotlout to fall over. A group of warriors snickered as they walked by. Snotlout growled something to Hookfang in the background.

“Thank you, but I’m sorry, we don’t have time for this,” said Hiccup. ”The volcano could destroy the whole island at any minute.”

“Hiccup, I do not wish to leave my people unprotected again. The hatchling is still with you. If something were to happen...”

“We’ll bring him back as soon as we can spare the rider,” which will also be once we find him thought Hiccup. “Mala I understand you don’t want to risk your home burning again, but we need your help. We’re going through the same thing you did.”

“Hiccup, I’m not even sure the Eruptodon will make the trip.”

“It’s not far,” said Hiccup quickly. It felt like he might be getting somewhere. “He’s made the trip before, and there's an island partway. We can stop off there or at any sea stacks we encounter. We only need to fly there. Berk can send a ship to take him back after.” Mala thought for a few moments, “please let us try!” More silence.

“Very well. You may try.”

“Thank you, Mala.”

“I must remain here to supervise the rebuilding after Ryker’s shellfire attack, Throk will accompany you and aid the Great Protector in my absence.”

“Because he did _so_ well last time with Hiccup,” mumbled Snotlout.

“And I want the Eruptodon hatchling back here as soon as possible. Hopefully your return will be under better circumstances and we can celebrate the victory over Vigo and the Dragon Hunters,” she added.

“I hope so too,” said Hiccup as he began to mount Toothless. He offered his hand for Throk to climb on, “Come on Throk.” Throk looked to Mala for approval and Hiccup remembered how the Defenders felt about riding dragons - he couldn’t remember Throk ever riding a dragon.

Mala nodded and Throk stepped forward, grabbed Hiccup’s forearm, then swung his leg over and Hiccup pulled him on. Hiccup felt Throk take a deep breath before saying,

“I’m ready.”

“Good luck Hiccup Haddock,” called Mala as they flew towards the Eruptodon’s cave.

 

When they landed Throk was understandably the first to speak,

“That is something else!”

“You get used to it,” replied Snotlout slightly pretentiously. They all dismounted and went inside.

The Eruptodon was taking large gulps of lava from the pool on the far side of the chamber.

“Good, he’s hungry,” said Hiccup. The Eruptodon turned at the sound of voices. Throk took a deep bow, Hiccup followed and prodded Snotlout’s arm so he would do the same.

“So,” said Snotlout, “now that we’re here, I’ve been wondering; what’s your plan for actually getting him to help us?”

“Well…,” Hiccup realized that he wasn’t exactly sure how to communicate with the Eruptodon. In the past he had always seen it with Mala, Throk, or her warriors and the dragon had just seemed to know what to do. He wasn’t sure if or how they had trained it.

“There is no plan, is there.”

“There, there is a plan,” said Hiccup, now less sure of himself, “it’s just been continuously evolving. Lot’s of moving parts.” Hiccup was talking more to Throk now, hoping that he would catch on and be able to help. Throk did seem to pick up on the hidden message and stepped forward.

“Oh Great Protector,” he said in his deep gravelly voice while bowing for a second time, “our friends humbly seek your aid in their darkest hour.” Snotlout started mumbling next to Hiccup,

“I wouldn’t really call it our darkest hour.”

“Snotlout, be quiet,” chastised Hiccup.

“He’s adding so much fluff to it. This is going to take for ever,” whispered Snotlout.

“It’s not fluff. It’s called being polite, humble, and respectful. This is a very powerful dragon.”

“I’m sorry how many times have we saved his lumpy behind? Where’s our respect? He isn’t even powerful enough to protect himself.”

“If it bothers you that much than just step outside,” snapped Hiccup. Snotlout left the chamber, thankfully quietly. Throk was still addressing the Eruptodon.

“Their home is in grave peril and you may be the only one who can save them. Oh Great Protector, please come with us to save their home.”The Eruptodon had cocked its head to one side, listening. When Throk finished it shook itself a little and extended its wings. This must have meant ‘yes I'll help’ because Throk turned around and relayed,

“The Great Protector will depart with us when we are ready.”

“Thank you!” said Hiccup, to both Throk and the dragon.

“Thanks are not necessary. He remembers what you and the other riders have done for him. This is his way of thanking you .” Hiccup nodded.

“Well, we haven't got much time. Let's go.”


	3. Gate Crashers

“Stupid, stupid, stupid.” Fishlegs kept muttering to himself as he and Meatlug flew in a low search grid over the forest. How could he have so oblivious. Hiccup had trusted him. Mala had trusted him. He had let them all down. Meatlug looked back at him and gave an empathetic whine.

“Aww, thanks girl. I'm sure we'll find him soon. We’ve lived on this island for years and know it like the back of your tail.” There was an all too familiar sound that came from somewhere near the back of her tail.

“On second thought, maybe the better analogy is the back of my hand,” said Fishlegs.

After a minute they reached the end of another row in the search grid. Fishlegs pulled out his notebook and crossed off another section of grid on the page.

“Well, that’s one more place we know he’s not. Come on girl, let’s keep going. Hiccup is counting on us.”

They flew for about 30 more uneventful minutes. It was slow going. The canopy and vegetation would become so  thick that sometimes they were practically hovering. Each pass they made over the forest was bringing them closer towards the base of the volcano.

Being a boulder class dragon this shouldn’t have been a huge issue. However, Fishlegs was fairly certain that the rocky hatchling couldn’t swim, and it had yet to exhibit any flying skills. If the dragon ventured too deep into the lava flow, it could become trapped or submerged and drown. Fishlegs was really trying not to dwell on that too much.

They had turned to make another pass over the forest and were over a clearing when Fishlegs heard a rustling noise.

“Did you hear that girl? It sounded close.” He saw some leaves shaking to his left, “that way Meatlug.” The baby Eruptodon popped out of the bush into the clearing.

“There you are little guy! We’ve been looking all over for you.” Meatlug began to descend. The hatchling croaked, but kept running.

“You can stop running now, we’re here to help you.” It croaked again, this time more desperately, and kept running.

That’s when Fishlegs heard it, more rustling in the trees. Only this time it was much louder and was accompanied by a man shouting, “Fire!” There was a whistling sound as arrows came bristling towards Meatlug from the canopy.

“Meatlug, sky!” cried Fishlegs. Dragon Hunters burst into the clearing, a dozen at least.

“Get that dragon! You three, shoot him down.”

Dragon Hunters! How? Then he remembered that they had yet to sweep the island for straggling foes because of the volcano. Ryker’s men could have landed on a secluded beach or swam ashore when their ship went down. There could still be dozens of Hunters left on the island. He would have to warn the others, but first he had to deal with this.

Fishlegs was starting to panic. There were way too many Hunters for him to take on by himself, but he had to get that hatchling before they did. He swallowed his fear and urged Meatlug down. The hatchling had almost made it across the clearing and back into the forest. It would be safer there, but there was no way Fishlegs could follow it with Hunters firing arrows at him: there was no room to maneuver.

Fishlegs was closing in on the hatchling. He started reaching down with one hand to make a grab for it when Meatlug swerved, an arrow whistled by. It was too late. They barely cleared the tops of the trees as Meatlug pulled up.

The Hunters crashed into the brush while Fishlegs looked around frantically for some sign of the young dragon. He heard a panicked croak and then the triumphant cries of the Hunters. Several Hunters emerged victoriously from the forest, one of which was carrying the hatchling.

More arrows whistled by and Meatlug flew higher. Several Hunters were still tracking her through the sky with bows while the others marched back towards the beach.

“Come on girl,” Fishlegs said with a sigh of defeat, “let's go find the others and get help.”

Especially now that there were still Dragon Hunters around, none of them were safe.

* * *

Astrid was very pleased with how well her comrades were working. The twins were excavating a trench - surprisingly without complaint or rebellion while Heather - who had managed to spot and follow them from the beach - sliced down trees which Astrid would then haul out of the way. They had made a decent amount of progress and a formidable lava barrier now stretched quite a ways in from the shore. However, not matter how hard she tried to convince herself, she couldn’t dismiss the idea that it wasn’t going to be enough. There was no way that they could protect all of Dragon’s Edge, let alone the entire island. They could only hope that Hiccup and Snotlout - so mostly Hiccup - could bring back the Eruptodon and a plan.

“Guys!” a voice called from overhead. Astrid recognized Fishleg’s voice and hopped that he was bringing good news. Then he completed his sentence, “We’ve got a problem.” He landed quickly and dismounted near Heather and Astrid. The twins came over to see what was up.

“Dragon Hunters,” said Fishlegs darkly, “there are lot of them, on foot around the island.”

“What! How?!” said Astrid.

“They must have swum to shore when their boats went down or come ashore on a beach we weren’t watching.”

“Despicable,” said Tuffnut.

“Inconsiderate,” agreed Ruffnut, “you’d think that sinking an armada would send a pretty clear ‘you’re not invited’ kind of message.”

“That’s the problem with gate crashers,” continued Tuffnut, “illiteracy.”

“We’ll have to be on high alert. Come on let’s get back to work,” said Astrid.

“Yea… there might be one other problem,” said Fishlegs.

“Nope,” interjected Tuffnut, “can’t be.”

“Right,” continued Ruffnut, “you specifically explicitly said problem. Singular - no more problems to be had.”

“You two can definitely get back to work,” Heather said sternly. She continued to glare at them as they moved away to continue digging. “What were you saying Fishlegs?”

“The Dragon Hunters kind of captured the baby Eruptodon.” There was silence. Both Astrid and Heather appeared to be processing what he had just said. Fishlegs really wished they would say something, it was getting a little awkward for him - not being able to tell if they were mad, disappointed, or understanding. He decided to break the silence, “It was in a clearing, there were a dozen of them at least, some of them still had bows and dragon root arrows. I couldn’t get close enough to grab the hatchling before they did.” He paused, “I’m really sorry guys.”

“It’s OK,” said Heather, smiling. “There was nothing you could do. Now we just need to focus on getting the hatchling back.” Fishlegs smiled back in appreciation.

“So what are we going to do?” he asked.

“We'll have to split up,” said Astrid. “You stay here and take my place. I'll go look for the Hunters.” Heather smile inverted immediately,

“Astrid!” scolded Heather, “Fishlegs said there are at least a dozen of them, probably more. There’s no way you can take them on alone. I’m coming with you.”

“No.” said Astrid firmly. “We can’t afford it. The fortifications are priority and we can’t get them done if half of us are gone. I can take care of myself.”

Astrid could tell that Heather was not convinced. Fishlegs also didn’t seem too keen on Astrid’s idea, but wasn’t about to try and argue with her.

“If something goes wrong,” said Heather, “you would have no backup. You could be captured - or worse - and we wouldn’t know.” Strangely, Fishlegs started rummaging around in his satchel and pulled out a cylindrical object with a hole in one end which was red and what looked like a button on the other end.

“Take this,” he said. “It’s a distress beacon Hiccup’s been working on. He gave it to me earlier in case the Hunters found us during the battle. He told me to point the red end upwards and press the button. It creates a spark and will launch monstrous nightmare gel into the sky and cause an explosion. We’ll be on our way with backup right away.”

“Thanks Fishlegs,” she said, taking the little capsule. Hiccup had the most ingenious ideas sometimes. She could have used this earlier during the whole Vigo fiasco that almost compromised the mission. She was glad that no one yet knew how that had gone down - or that it had happened at all - or else they would never let her leave to fight the Hunters on her own. Heather still didn’t look convinced about the idea as it was.

“Don’t worry,” she tried to reassure Heather again, “I'll be careful. Besides, I’ve got this now,” she waved with the beacon capsule. After a few moments Heather conceded,

“Fine, but at the first sign of trouble you better fire that thing off. I don’t want to see anyone else I know die.” Astrid appreciated her friends deep concern.

“I will,” she said firmly before mounting her dragon and taking to the sky. They watched her briefly, before she disappeared into the darkness.

“Hey,” said Fishlegs, “she’ll be fine. Astrid’s tough”

“I know,” said Heather, “and she knows that - that’s what worries me.”

* * *

 It had been no more than 5 minutes and they had just barely began making progress again when 3 dark objects became visible atop the trees flying towards them. Hiccup and Snotlout had returned with the Eruptodon, and Throk.

“Hiccup! Thank Thor you’re back.” shouted Fishlegs from across the clearing where he and Meatlug had been moving a tree trunk.

“Never any love for the _real_ viking warrior,” Snotlout said smugly. He looked around for Astrid, hoping that she had heard him, but didn’t see her.

“We’ve got more problems,” Fishlegs continued. Hiccup groaned,

“What now?”

“Dragon Hunters.”

“What? Here? On the Edge? How?”

“We think most of them swam ashore after their boats went down. A few of them must have been on the island from during the attack though because they have anti-dragon weapons with them,” said Heather who had just run over.

“Did they attack you guys?” asked Hiccup.

“Just Fishlegs…” Heather trailed off, seemingly to have just realized Throk was there.

“What happened? You’re OK Fishlegs?”

“Yea. Meatlug and I got away OK,” he replied, also avoiding Throk because of a sudden itch on his neck and interest in his shoes. It was obvious to Hiccup they were holding something back.

“Guys…”

“They may have taken the hatchling before I could get it.”

“What!” growled Throk.

“Astrid may have also gone to look for them on her own,” added Heather.

“What!” growled Hiccup.

“You know how she is Hiccup,” said Heather, “we tried to stop her.”

“We barely convinced her to take that distress beacon you gave me,” said Fishlegs.

“I know,” said Hiccup exasperatedly, “I also know that Astrid has a different definition of ‘distress’ than we do.”

“Hiccup, I too am concerned for the safety of your friend,” said Throk, “but what of the hatchling? The people of Caldera need that dragon.”

“I know, I know,” said Hiccup. We’ll get him back safely. I’ll see to it personally.“ He began mounting Toothless. “Right now, we need the Eruptodon to stop the volcano. Heather and Fishlegs can protect you guys on the accent. Snotlout, help the twins with the fortifications.”

“Mala would rather I accompany you to make sure that the future of our people is secured,” rebuked Throck.

“Yea,” interjected Snotlout, “ and she trusts me way more than Fishface right now. How come I can’t escort the Eruptodon and he play in the dirt.”

“I’m sorry Throk, but it's more difficult to maneuver with two riders,” he paused trying to think of a way to continue, “you... you would just slow us down.” Throk thought for a moment, but seemed to understand Hiccup’s motives and nodded.

“Thank you. Snotlout, you can stay here because Meatlug is better equipped to help up in the mountains.” Hiccup knew that Meatlug’s ability to eat rocks probably wouldn’t make a difference, but Heather and Fishlegs worked better as a team. He was also tiring of ‘the great viking warrior’ questioning every decision he made on the basis of his ego.

It looked like Snotlout was trying to come up with another excuse, so Hiccup decided it was time to leave.

“Stay safe,” he said to everyone before taking to the air. A few minutes later Meatlug - carrying Fishlegs, and Windshear - carrying Heather and Throk, took to the sky with the Eruptodon, on course for the glowing Volcano.

There was a small explosion lit up the edge of the forest. The distinct sound of a night fury, bursting to full speed, was audible over the treetops.


	4. It's Not Over Yet

Astrid really wasn’t making things easy for him. They had discussed, on several occasions, leaving their personal feelings on the sidelines during battle, but it was never that easy in practice. They had fought the battle of their lives earlier that day, during which Hiccup had flinched every time he heard the whistle of a projectile - fearing one might hit home. Then there was the scare on top of the volcano when Vigo had nearly decapitated Astrid in an attempt to obtain the Dragon Eye. If it hadn’t been for his desperate quick thinking Astrid could have been captured - again, injured - again, or killed. They had - again, briefly discussed their battlefield emotions, agreeing that there couldn’t be any, before - again, being thrown into a deadly situation. 

Toothless sensed Hiccup’s tenseness and gave a soft croon.

“I know bud.” He recognized that Astrid had made the most tactically sound choice, but he still didn’t like it because it again left him fighting to remain calm, and enjoying one of those rare moments where he was hoping to be found by Dragon Hunters. 

Looking on the brightside, the simmering volcano was dimly illuminating most of the island canopy making the search a little easier for both him and Hunters potentially lurking in the forest. Though he had neglected to ask which direction Astrid had gone, he was pretty sure the Hunters would be on the North-western side of the island. The battle had taken place on the South-eastern shoreline and it was likely if Ryker was trying to flank them, that’s where he would have done it.

“Come on bud,” said Hiccup, “she can’t be too far ahead of us.” That’s when Hiccup heard men shouting. It wasn’t long after that he saw an explosion in the sky a few thousand feet to his right - the distress beacon.

“Toothless, there!” The dragon was already ahead of him though. He flapped his wings more aggressively, sending off the convulsive tell tale sound of a night fury at full speed. They closed the distance in less than a minute. His heart rate was beginning to elevate. He could hear every beat. He could feel the low-deep rumble coming from Toothless that radiated power. 

Toothless burst over the trees and onto the beach - landing and taking up an aggressive and authoritative stance. They looked around - ready to take on the entire Grimborn fleet again if they had to. It quickly became apparent that was not necessary.

In fact, it seemed that Astrid had everything under control. There were only half a dozen Hunters in sight and 4 of them were already pacified. Toothless fired at the remaining two who were focused on Astrid, quickly ending the skirmish.

“Welcome back,” said Astrid as she and Stormfly landed.

“What was that?!” shouted Hiccup.

“What was what?”

“The distress beacon!”

“Hiccup, calm down. Heather and Fishlegs made me promise to fire it off as soon as I found Hunters.” He was starting to calm down, but his emotions were still running a little high.

“Astrid, I thought you were hurt, or captured, or…”

“Hiccup him fine.” To reinforce that point, she hopped down from Stormfly and walked over to grab his hands once he had dismounted from Toothless. Hiccup took a deep and shaky breath before speaking - realizing what he had done,

“I’m sorry,” he said, now slightly upset with himself. He had freaked out over nothing and broke their no-emotions-on-the-battlefield promise.

“Don’t be,” she said and hugged him. “I probably would have done the same thing. Besides, I’m glad you care that much.” That really seemed to help calm Hiccup down. “Now come on,” said Astrid, “let’s go.”

“What?” said Hiccup. “Go where?”

“Clear out the rest of the Dragon Hunters. Some of them ran back into the forest when they saw me.”

“Well, which way m’lady?” She pointed towards the south. Hiccup’s eyes widened. Astrid came to the same realization when she saw his face - she hadn’t thought much about the fleeing Hunters at the time. She hadn’t realized, until now, that she was North of the Edge

“Come on,” said Hiccup grimley, “we might still be able to cut them off before they make it.”

They quickly remounted their dragons and took to the sky - heading north as fast as their dragons could carry them.

* * *

They were nearing the ash cloud suspended around the top of the volcano. Fishlegs was not certain how close they would be able to get - or really how close they needed to get. The implicitly agreed upon plan seemed to be get the Erruptadon to the top of the volcano and pray to Thor. Which, Thor had been pretty good to them over the years so he wasn’t totally opposed to that plan.

“How much farther do you think we can go?” asked Heather, echoing his thoughts.

“It can’t be much farther,” said Fishlegs, “the eruption has been fairly limited so far. Most of the ash from the initial blast might have started to settle by now.”

“I’m not sure how much more of this Windshear can take,” Heather said, with a hint of concern. Her dragon shook a little with each breath and had coughed a few times. Being a sharp-class dragon, she wasn’t equipped to handle the volcanic elements as well as her boulder-class counterparts. Nevertheless, they pushed onward.

A faint glowing region began to appear and expand within the ash cloud.

“There!” pointed Fishlegs, “That must be the peak.”

“Now what?” asked Heather. She was looking at him and it wasn’t helping him think. He looked over at the presumed peak, then to the Erruptadon. He was also staring at Fishlegs and seemed to understand the predicament. The dragon gave a mighty roar before it dove at the ash cloud into the heart of the volcano.

“Aren't you going to help him?!” shouted Throck, who had been surprised by the Dragon’s aggressive dive.

“There’s nothing we can do,” said Fishlegs. “Besides, he’s a boulder-class dragon that lives in a volcano.”

“Yes,” said Throck, “but his volcano is not active and fighting back.” On cue, the volcano rumbled and several large blobs of magma spewed into the sky - forcing the riders to make evasive maneuvers.

“That was too close,” shouted Fishlegs, who was patting a spot of singed hair on his arm.

“We should pull off,” agreed Heather.

Not even giving Fishlegs time to process what Heather had just said, the volcano began to rumble again. This time was stronger than the others - so powerful that the island must have been shaking far below them. The acoustical assault lasted for at least half a minute. Neither rider was sure of what they should do, they had never trained for anything like this.

Heather was the first to come to her senses,

“Come on! We need to get some more distance between us and the volcano,” she repeated.

“What?” shouted Fishlegs? Meatlug had begun to pick up on his panic and started drifting away from Windshear. Heather motioned wildly, pointing away from the volcano,

“Back off!” she shouted. Fishlegs got the message and, with slightly more confidence, urged Meatlug away from the ash cloud.

They had moved off maybe 50ft when the volcanic noises crescendoed and more lava spewed out of the cloud.

“Look out!” both riders cried in unison, as their dragons put on a burst of speed and surged forward. They didn’t stop until they were halfway across the island, hovering way above the forest.

“What’s happening?” asked Throck, who Fishlegs had almost forgotten was there.

“I don’t know,” he cried back.

“Will the Erruptadon be ok?” asked Heather.

“I don’t know,” Fishlegs said again. So many questions that he was wondering himself. Why were they turning to him anyway? Just because he knew about dragons didn’t mean he knew everything. All this pressure was throwing his zen completely off. Meatlug whined sympathetically.

_ I know girl _ , he thought. No matter what, they would have to think of something because whatever the Erruptadon was doing inside that volcano was not working. The eruption was continuing at an increasingly aggressive demeanor. He could see little glowing spots atop the forest far below - probably fires, ignited by the volcanic debris. Meanwhile, lava still flowed - at an even more aggressive pace - down the side of the mountain. It was hopeless, there was nothing Fishlegs could think todo. They had given it their best shot and failed. Hopefully the Erruptadon would atleast make it out unscathed. 

After a few more minutes the situation appeard to be worsening, and they just sat there - watching in horror - as it seemed their home was destined to burn. The volcano was spewing bits of magma straight out the top now - reaching higher and higher into the sky before raining down like little reddish-orange droplets of rain. Then suddenly, it began to stop. And then it ended entirely.

“Is that it?” Throck asked to no one in particular - a few moments of silence followed.

“We should fly closer and check it out,” said Heather. She wasn’t exactly sure what they should be ‘checking out,’ but they weren’t going to learn anything by hovering over the forest so far away.

The approach took several minutes as they flew in with caution, half expecting the volcano to start erupting again. The had just come over the base of the volcano, still far below them, when the Erruptadon burst out the now stagnate magma pool - roaring definitely. The riders were still a little shaken by the whole ordeal and not quite ready to declare victory with the dragon.

“I think that’s a good thing?” squeaked Fishlegs. They closed around the summit of the volcano, keeping about a 100 ft safety buffer - just in case. However as the seconds ticked by their posture noticeably eased.

The Erruptadon flew down from what seemed a lot like a victory lap to meet them mid air. They were hoving in a circle staring at each other - the riders were not quite sure if the dragon was trying to communicate with them or waiting for them to communicate with it.

Throck finally broke the silence, stating what both riders were anxiously waiting to hear,

“I believe the Great Protector has finished.” Both riders looked at each other, just glad that the seemingly impossible feat was done.

“Thank you,” they both said to the Erruptadon -  “for saving our home,” added Heather. Fishlegs was both surprised and happy that she had referred to the Edge as her home - even if it was only a temporary one.

“Shall we?” asked Heather, gesturing back towards the ground. Fishlegs nodded,

“We shall,” and they took up a decent course toward Dragons Edge.


	5. What About Now?

Both riders were flat to the backs of their dragons, and fley low over the forest canopy. Unsure of what they might find, their biggest advantage would be the element of surprise - and the dragons of course.

Since leaving the beach, they had adjusted course to circle around behind Dragons Edge and come in from the north-west side of the island. That way the would not be visible to most of the base until they were flying over the club house. Having the high ground would also make it easier to identify their targets quickly before engaging.

Hiccup turned his head to look over at Astrid. She must have seen him in her peripheral, and turned to look at him as well. Her face was set, ready for battle. She gave him a brief smile before turning back, face set, scanning the trees ahead. Hiccup followed, looking foward again.

His goal was to not freak out during this skirmish. They had fought countless adversaries together and neither of them frequently came close to death in combat. They were always being shot at with arrows and chains, but after a while they had just come to accept that as part of the gig. In a strange way, that made him feel better. They had been fighting Dragon Hunters for several years now, what was a few more poorly equipped and exhausted men that were out of there element? Everything would be fine.

They swerved to avoid a particularly tall tree, which gave sight to the familiar pillar sticking out the top of the club house - they were seconds away. Toothless growled and Hiccup felt it through the length of the dragon’s body - pure power. He adjusted his grip on the saddle, and pressed himself even lower to the dragon’s back. Astrid went through a similar routine, undergoing last second adjustments. They were ready.

Together the two riders burst over the cliff, quickly assessing the situation. Some of the torches were lit and there was enough ambient light to make out about a dozen Hunters clustered around the training area, arming them selve with the rider's equipment. One had been looking in the direction of the club house and shouted,

“Dragon Riders. Incoming!” None of the Hunters had bows at the ready which gave Toothless and chance to fire off two plasma blasts, and Stormfly a volley of spines. Collectively they took down 2 Hunters.

Astrid dove to the right while he went left to avoid the handful of arrows the now primed Hunters shot off. Astrid continued around the cliff wall while Hiccup did the same on his side of the base. Still functioning in impeccable sync, they both came up on the other side of the Hunters, who had organized themselves after the initial surprise attack.

A large man wearing a red skin jacket was attempting to rally his comrades into a defensive position. Hiccup flew Toothless in towards the lead Hunter to dispose of him quickly, while Astrid worked to incapacitate the 5 Hunters who had managed to find bows.

Noting how efficiently and systematically they were able to ward off the exhausted Hunter force help put Hiccup’s mind at ease. He had been a little concerned about flying into an unknown situation so impulsively. They technically had a home-field-advantage, but both he and Astrid knew how heavily fortified the Edge was. Even these 12 Hunters could have held them off if given time to prepare. He focused himself back into the battle, coming in for another pass at the remaining Hunters. This would all be over quickly, he would be fine, Astrid would be fine.

 

Astrid was coming around for a 3rd pass over the training area. There were only 2 Hunters tracking her with their bows. Once they were disposed of, the remaining few would be defenseless against their dragons. Stormfly's magnesium blast shot the two archers back, where they landed hard on the stone floor - their bows smoldering bits of ash nearby. She pulled Stormfly up and shot up to the clubhouse so she could locate Hiccup, make sure he hadn’t gotten himself into trouble, and then select her next target.

Halting a little below the clubhouse deck, she noted Hiccup moving to dispose of 3 Hunters hiding behind barrels with their swords. There was another group of Hunters doing the same nearby. She moved to direct Stormfly for their next attack when there was a sudden jolt. Stormfly pitched backwards - squawking in surprise at what was evidently an involuntary movement. At first Astrid thought that Stormfly had somehow been hit, but the large meaty hand that clamped over her mouth and sword that pressed against her neck suggested otherwise.

“Land this beast or I’ll ground both of you - permanently,” growled a menacing voice behind her.

Thinking fast, Astrid realized a Hunter must have ran through the caves that led to the clubhouse from the training area. Her natural instinct was to panic, but her vast experience at being a hostage helped her force down the feeling. Everything would be fine - they won’t kill her, not yet anyway.

 

Another Hunter, who had been watching the deadly nadder, waiting for it to swoop back in close enough for him to strike, saw his companion grab the girl and shouted to his comrades in the arena.

 

Hiccup heard the shout and looked around for the source. He saw a Hunter pointing up towards the clubhouse. His heart fell as his eyes tracked up to see Astrid, at sword point. She looked calm and unhurt so far, but that didn’t impede the wave of emotions that crashed over him.

First came panic; _oh my Thor it’s happening again. Why was it always Astrid._ Then came frustration; _oh my Thor I let it happen again. Why can’t I protect my friends - my girlfriend. I rely on her, but can she rely on me_ ? Followed closely with regret; _Thor why didn’t we go for help first_.

He started to blink, his mind absorbed in thought, and it happened so quickly. Astrid moved her head back and leaned closer towards the Hunter's sword arm. There was enough space between her neck and the Hunter’s hand to force her hands into the gap and push away the leather clad appendage. For a moment she had the advantage, but the bulky man was stronger and had more leverage. The Hunter pushed back and Astrid cried out and her eyes widened in pain as her windpipe was crushed, now the back of her own hands.

So many emotions ran through Hiccup, emotions he would never share with her. All the meticulous planning, training, and reconnaissance. It all came down to this. One fatal slip up. One stupid Hunter in the right place, at just the right time. The world was cruel like that, with or without men like Ryker and Viggo.

Just as quickly, his eyes flew open. He blinked a few more times. It had only been a brief image from his overactive imagination, but it had felt so real. There had been a palpable burst of adrenalin through his body, but all was still fine - sort of. Astrid still had her arms pinned to Stormfly’s saddle, descending with the sword at her throat. At that point came the feeling of angry determination; _Thor have mercy on these Hunters_. The war was won. They were so close to a life of peace, he’d be outcast from Berk before he lost Astrid to one wretched Hunter.

He quickly tried to mirror Astrid’s calm demeanor and devise a plan. What were his advantages? Where were the Hunters weak? All the while he kept his gaze on Astrid, looking for any sort of direction in her expression. To his horror, she began to slowly descend towards the ground. He still had no plan and now was hesitant to act while the Hunter holding Astrid captive had his gaze locked on Hiccup, almost taunting him to make a move.

 

Astrid wasn’t getting any brilliant ideas as the Hunter pressured further against her neck when she hesitated to act on his command. Deciding it would at least buy her a few seconds, she leaned very slightly to direct Stormly towards the ground. The dragon was very aware of the danger to her rider and silently began to inch towards the ground.

It felt like several minutes passed as they moved towards the smooth stone training floor. Each time the dragon flapped her wings, the Hunter’s arm shifted a little and Astrid could feeling the cold metal of the sword shift against her skin. Not only seeming to prolong the situation, it was a constant reminder of how precarious her predicament was.

They were not more than a few feet off the ground now. The other Hunters had figured out that Hiccup wasn’t really a threat now that Astrid was their captive. It was somewhat infuriating that she was again the “damsel in distress.” Though she found some consolation in the fact that Stormfly was with her and “Hictooth” was the one who would probably be her viking in shining leather armor. She could see that Hiccup had his face scrunched in frustrated thought. At least he wasn’t freaking out like last time.

There was a slight moment of panic when Stormfly touched down and the other Hunters swarmed forward. Astrid felt Stormfly tense as the dragon squawked and raised her barbed tail defensively, causing the Hunters to stop and hesitate.

“Tell your dragon to stand down,” said the accented voice of the Hunter. Stormfly turned her head a little to look back at her rider with one eye.

“Stormfly,” Astrid said slowly, “now!” The communication between dragon and rider was truly astounding.

Astrid swung her hands up to press back against the hand and arm of her captor, pushing the sword blade away from her neck. Simultaneously, Stormfly whipped her tail at the Hunter's head. Through a combination surprise and then unhealthy jarring of the brain - the Hunter was stunned and thrown off of Stormfly. The tip of the sword cleared Astrid’s neck with a moderately healthy amount of space. She then jerked hard on the saddle and Stormfly shot up into the air and out towards the ocean, away from any platforms that might be carrying more unexpected hitchhikers.

Hiccup shot over next to her on Toothless,

“Are you alright?” he asked. She was still touched by the genuine concern she found in his face - concern for her.

“Yea, much better now,” she said. “Shall we finish them?”

“Your wish is my command!” he quipped, and they shot back in towards even further exhausted number of Dragon Hunters.

It really wasn’t even a contest by then. The Hunters lacked any further ranged weapons and could be picked off from the air. In less than a minute the two riders had dispatched their quarry, but were still cautious in landing. They had yet to see any sign of the hatchling and neither rider would relax until the little dragon was safely back in their care.

“Spread out and check for more hunters,” said Hiccup as they touched down.

After a quick sweep and finding threats in the vicinity, Astrid found some rope and they both began to restrain the incapacitated Hunters. Once completed, they would then continue their search for the hatchling.

There was little talking between the pair, though there was much that could have been discussed. Astrid was avoiding conversation because she felt a little embarrassed about being captured, again. Hiccup was holding his tongue because he felt that, with better planning from their leader, the whole predicament could have been avoided. Both teens knew that they would have to talk eventually, but for now there were more important issues.

 

They were knotting the last group of Hunters, who had been near the crack in the floor of the dome, when Toothless cocked his head and gave a croon. He bounded over and looked down into the crack. Hiccup followed him over and looked down to see the young erruptadon, unhurt and staring back up at him, croaking.

“There you are little guy,” he said. Hiccup flew down to the cave entrance overlooking the sea, retrieved the little lump, and then returned to find Astrid watching the volcano; which appeard to be calming.

“It looks like the the Erruptadon stopped the volcano,” she said.

“Well,” said Hiccup sarcastically, “he is called ‘The Great Protector.’” Astrid lightly punched his shoulder when he dismounted next to her.

Both riders finally allowed themselves to relax, everything was - presumably - over.


	6. The Great Beyond

The sun was starting to rise over Dragons Edge. The other riders had returned to base soon after Hiccup and Astrid had finished moving the captured Hunters into the impromptu holdings cells - more commonly known as the stables. 

It was clear that no one was in shape to fly an effective patrol around the island, so Hiccup compromised: everyone else was allowed to sleep until the morning, then they would go on patrol. Hiccup would stay awake and stand guard while they slept to make sure any Hunters that might still be slinking around on the island didn’t surprise them in their sleep. Unsurprisingly, Astrid had volunteered to stay on watch with him, or as she put it:

“Someone has to make sure you don’t fall asleep and let us get surrounded.”

Either way, Hiccup appreciated the company and Astrid was equally as pleased with her decision to take an extended moonlit walk with her boyfriend, over getting an insignificant amount of  sleep.

“Are you sure you’re ok?” Hiccup had started, after a few minutes of enjoying eachother's company as they walked along the moonlit cliff above Dragons Edge.

“I’m fine Hiccup,” said Astrid in a playfully irritated tone.

“Really though. I mean, Astrid Hofferson - captured and held hostage twice in 1 day? That’s got to be a pretty low blow…” replied Hiccup in a very sarcastic and mocking manor.

“Oh, I can show you a low blow,” she said wickedly while taking aim for his gut. Hiccup caught her hand as she took a playful swing at him and pulled her close. Astrid raised her other hand to his as they stood facing each other. For a few moments they simply enjoyed each other's warmth while a cool breeze blew in from the sea.

Hiccup looked out to the sea; took a deep breath; and was about to speak, but stopped.

“What is it?” Astrid asked after a few seconds of silence.

“Today,” said Hiccup, after a few more seconds. “Every time I heard someone cry out in battle today, all I could think about was if it had been you.”

“I know Hiccup; I feel the same way, but we’re fine now.”

“I know, and I’m sortof getting used to it. I can’t protect you every hour of every day. Really - it’s usually you that’s protecting me.” Astrid smiled at that. “But what I have come to get used to, Astrid, is my love for you; and that means I will cherish every minute of every hour of every day that we have. No matter what may happen, we’ll get through it. We always have so far and I don’t intend for it to end now.”

Astrid simply stood on her toes and leaned forward to kiss him in affirmation of the pact. He leaned forward and met her lips partway. They stood there for a while, before finally breaking apart.

“So,” said Astrid softly, “ _ Now _ is it all over?”

“I hope not,” murmured Hiccup - clearly referring to something else.

“Well, then it must just be getting started.” They were both still smiling, but Hiccup’s began to fade.

“What is it?” Astrid asked him again.

“I don’t know.”

“Come on Hiccup.”

“No, really. It’s just - for so long I’ve only thought about Vigo and Ryker. Everything was about stopping them. What now? Do we stay here at the Edge? Will the other riders want to stay apart of the Dragon Riders full time? Do-”

“Hiccup,” Astrid has silence him with a finger pressed to his lips, “stop. You can stop worrying. Please, at least for a day. It’s been so long since we’ve just gone out to fly; for fun, to explore new islands, look for new dragons; to just be teenagers.” His mood began to visibly brighten.

“Yea, I guess I could get used to that again.”

“Besides if you ever get bored,” said Astrid - a hint of mischief in her tone, “I have plenty of things that  _ we _ can do.”

“Oh yea? Like what.”

“Well,” said Astrid - now slightly sheepish, “ I don’t believe you ever took me on a proper first date.” Hiccup smiled.

“Well then we better fix that,” said Hiccup who was back to his normal sarcastic self, “right this way, m’lady.” He led her a little ways farther along the cliff edge, then made an exaggerated show of helping her sit down along the side, overlooking the water. “I can’t believe we have this place all to ourselves,” he continued, “it’s usually packed - young couples usually with their dragons.” Astrid was very pleased to see Hiccup was back to his normal self.

“Oh, so you come here often?” she asked, playing hurt.

“Only in my dreams, I’ve never had the courage to ask,” he said with mock-sorrow.

“Those girls will never get to see what their missing.”

“No, but the one to whom it matters will,” he smiled - looking at her. Astrid shifted closer to him, placing her arm around his lower back and placed her head on his shoulder. Hiccup responded with an arm around her shoulder and his head gently rested on hers.

Neither rider concerned themself with the affairs of potential Dragon Hunters. Instead they relied on their combined desire to make this feeling moment last forever to fend off any would be attackers. 

They sat there until the sun began to rise, a painting-perfect moment that only happened in legends and stories. It was a few minutes after sunrise when they heard an exaggerated yawn behind them and sprang apart. The other riders were walking down the hill towards the couple. Heather was bringing up the rear of the group and chastising the other teens for disturbing them.

Hiccup and Astrid stood up, a little embarrassed and still getting used to the fact that their relationship was no longer a secret - or at least no longer a rumor. 

“Get a hut you too,” shouted Snotlout. Hiccup leaned back over to Astrid and whispered,

“We’ll continue this later, we haven't even made it to dinner yet.” She smiled back at him, looking forward to whatever he may have planned for later that day.

The other riders made it down the hill, to the edge of the cliff. Snotlout was the first to speak,

“So, what are we going to do now?”

“I for one,” said Tuffnut, “feel that our great victory warrants an extended amount of R&R time.”

“I concur, brother. Our contract specifically states in paragraph 4, subsection 1, line 4 that all riders...”

“Wait,” interrupted Tuff; looking appalled at his sister, you got a contract? When did you get a contract and why was I never offered the same legally binding terms? I feel cheated.”

“No one signed any contracts guys,” said Fishlegs.

“Don’t try and forget, we still have a patrol to do,” reminded Hiccup. There were several groans.

“Yea, but what about after that?” asked Snotlout, who was yawning again.

“We keep going,” said Hiccup as his eyes swept around the assembled group “into the great beyond.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this story was some what entertaining. Its been an on-and-off project of mine for a while now, but I feel like it came together pretty coherently in the end.  
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
